Speaker 1: There's something magical sprouting in Cape this winter. Oh no,
Speaker 1: there isn't. Oh yes, there is no. It's not just
Speaker 1: the rain Kickstart Theater in association with the Baxter, it's
Speaker 1: bringing their award winning panto magic to the mother city
Speaker 1: for the first time with a larger than life production
Speaker 1: of Jack and the bean Stalk. It is the perfect
Speaker 1: school holiday treat, running from the third of July to
Speaker 1: the twenty seventh of July, and it's packed with laughs, music,
Speaker 1: and more giant fun than you could shake a magic
Speaker 1: bean at. We know it's a bit of a way off,
Speaker 1: well a few four days, but you're going to have
Speaker 1: to act fast to make sure that you've got tickets
Speaker 1: for this one. This year's production is written and directed
Speaker 1: by Stephen Stead and designed by three time Fluid Cup
Speaker 1: winner Greg King. Delighted, but we're joined now by longtime
Speaker 1: pantomime player Liesel Copen, who plays the role of Lady
Speaker 1: Beastley in Jack and the bean Stalk. He's all good
Speaker 1: to have you with us this afternoon, Hiday.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1: What a pleasure. No, really really excited. This is the
Speaker 1: first time that you're bringing one of your magical Pantos
Speaker 1: to the Baxter with Kickstart, Why Now and why particularly
Speaker 1: Jack and the bean Stalk.
Speaker 2: So what's been Kickstart has been doing pantos in Durban
Speaker 2: for the last twenty years. In fact, I think this
Speaker 2: Christmas season will be the twenty first year. It's become
Speaker 2: a staple Christmas tradition in Durban and we always sell
Speaker 2: out and we've always wanted to be able to bring
Speaker 2: it to kates On its most wonderful way to entertain
Speaker 2: both children and adults. And yeah, we just we just
Speaker 2: can't wait to and we really hope that we can
Speaker 2: we can start a tradition here in Capton as well,
Speaker 2: because it's in honest success in Durban.
Speaker 1: So I, as many of people know, I grew up
Speaker 1: in the UK where pantomime, particularly as you said, Christmas
Speaker 1: panto is. It's it's such a it's such a tradition
Speaker 1: for so many families, and it's it's become quite a
Speaker 1: quite big business as well. We managed to get in,
Speaker 1: you know, celebrity names to come in and do guest
Speaker 1: starring performances and things. But it's such a specific theatrical form.
Speaker 1: It's it's cheeky, it's musical, it's interactive that Oh no
Speaker 1: he isn't. Oh yes he is all of that kind
Speaker 1: of thing. He's behind you, all of that sort of stuff.
Speaker 1: What do you think makes panto so special?
Speaker 2: Oh? You know, there's there's nothing quite like pantom And
Speaker 2: you know, it's not a musical, it's not children's theater.
Speaker 2: It's it's such a clever script and it's it appeals
Speaker 2: to both adults, two teenagers to small children. In our Panthers,
Speaker 2: Stephen Stead, our director and writer, has so cleverly integrated
Speaker 2: local flavor into it. We have catchy songs and energetic choreography,
Speaker 2: and there's humor, there's fantasy, there's spectacle. Our setter outrageous.
Speaker 2: Our costumes are even more so outrageous. And you know
Speaker 2: it's it's people come away with that. They go in
Speaker 2: not really knowing what to expect, and then they just
Speaker 2: have the best term. And it's often those dads that
Speaker 2: would rather be watching the rugby that end up having
Speaker 2: the best term. Yeah. So it's it's such a wonderful
Speaker 2: genre and I encourage everyone, all ages come and see
Speaker 2: what it's all about.
Speaker 1: I would love that. I would love for people to
Speaker 1: go who've never been because they may not ought to expect,
Speaker 1: or people who aren't necessarily regular theater go is because
Speaker 1: I can people have an idea of what the theater
Speaker 1: is like and that maybe it's this kind of exclusive
Speaker 1: space where you must sit in all be terribly terribly serious,
Speaker 1: even you know that every everything's going to be so serious.
Speaker 2: That's what's what the Panta is all about, you know,
Speaker 2: It's about bringing It's about you know, there's so many
Speaker 2: people that will just that that don't expect to enjoy it,
Speaker 2: and they just have the best family. That's what we'd
Speaker 2: love to do is to start another tradition here like
Speaker 2: we have in Durban. People they come back year and
Speaker 2: year and year after each other. It's just it's such
Speaker 2: a wonderful genre.
Speaker 1: Liza I mentioned that the set design is courtesy of
Speaker 1: three time Flirt account winner Greg King. What's he done
Speaker 1: that makes this one so special?
Speaker 2: Well, it's magical. You know, you don't see the sets
Speaker 2: like this anymore. Really, it's pretty rare to have. We have.
Speaker 2: It's colorful bursts of color. I don't want to give
Speaker 2: it too much away, so you're going to have to
Speaker 2: come and see it for yourself. But it's just it's outrageous,
Speaker 2: outrageously beautiful, and it's like a fantasy land. It's it's
Speaker 2: like bolt dis need and I can't even explain it.
Speaker 2: It's just the most spectacular sets and it's just beautiful, beautiful.
Speaker 2: He's so clever, he's so clever, and just when you
Speaker 2: think you've seen it all, then there's something else that
Speaker 2: pops onto the stage. It's just wonderful.
Speaker 1: Tell us a little bit about about your character. So
Speaker 1: you play the role of Lady Beastly perfectly horrible.
Speaker 2: She is so delicious. She is one of my favorite
Speaker 2: favorite roles to play. And it's the third time that
Speaker 2: I'm playing her, and you know, because I think the
Speaker 2: villain always has the best lines, to be honest, and
Speaker 2: she's such fun to play. And even though this is
Speaker 2: the third time that I'm I'm playing her because of
Speaker 2: the way that the script is written. It's so funny
Speaker 2: and so witty that I'm able to add on more
Speaker 2: layers every single time that we rehearse and every time
Speaker 2: I perform. And she's evil, but she's clever and crafty
Speaker 2: and witty and just delicious. So the adults tend to
Speaker 2: love me. The children boomy, But I think I'll win
Speaker 2: them over in the end.
Speaker 1: Just to remind us how we can get how we
Speaker 1: can get tickets for the show.
Speaker 2: So you can get your tickets on web tickets. We're
Speaker 2: actually running a preview special for the first five shows
Speaker 2: for one hundred and eighty rand and that's from the Thursday,
Speaker 2: and you can get them at web tickets online. But
Speaker 2: I would really encourage you to book as soon as possible.
Speaker 1: I've got two small children. I've got I've got a
Speaker 1: five and a two year old. How how would you
Speaker 1: recommend it's an age an age ranger? Is it for everybody?
Speaker 2: We'll usually say around about three, okay, three or four,
Speaker 2: but some children come as young as three. It's it's
Speaker 2: there's just so much happening on the stage. It might
Speaker 2: be a little overwhelming for someone too young, but honestly,
Speaker 2: from three until one hundred years old, you're going to
Speaker 2: have the best time.
Speaker 1: I'm looking forward to it. Liesel, thanks very much. Indeed,
Speaker 1: Liesel coppin joining us this afternoon. She plays the role
Speaker 1: of Lady Beastly in Jack and the bean Stalk, which
Speaker 1: Kickstart is bringing to the Baxter Darding this the Thursday.
Speaker 1: I think, is it Thursday, Yes it is Thursday, the third.
Speaker 1: Tickets between the Early Bird Special three to the third
Speaker 1: to the fifth of July at one hundred and eighty
Speaker 1: rand and then thereafter three hundred round for adults, two
Speaker 1: sixty for students, two fifty for children and pensioners will
Speaker 1: pay two hundred and ten rand. Make sure that you
Speaker 1: go and see Jack and the bean Stalk at the
Speaker 1: Baxter